Wednesday, May 16, 2007

j's indie/rock mayhem - 16th may 2007

[the first show of the summer session and it was a humdinger. first off, good news: j's extra mayhem is back for the summer! if you were paying attention about a year ago, during the summer session i was on twice a week. the normal indie/rock mayhem and the sunday night extra mayhem show. that's the show where i unleash the things you don't normally hear during indie/rock mayhem and also hit you with the wholesale album of the week: a classic album in its entirety during the 11 o'clock hour. so tune in this sunday night at 10pm for the first edition of this summer's extra mayhem. i typically don't podcast those shows, due to storage restrictions and the fact that i'd essentially be releasing an entire album for free, but we'll see. how it goes.

congratulations to randall carr who won tonight's BBs new and used CDs and DVDs gift certificate giveaway. he correctly identified the rolling stones as the origin of the name of beggars banquet records. he's scored himself a $15 gift certificate with our fine friends in the quaker village shopping center across from the radio station. i give one away each week, so keep it locked and try to win.

Theme Song - Peaches - "Rock Show">Arctic Monkeys - "The Bad Thing" [one of the best tracks from their latest, favourite worst nightmare. a brooding, deep song for the monkeys and the music can hardly be beat.]Sleater-Kinney - "Dig Me Out" [the title track from their 1997 album. spin magazine's 3rd best album of that year (behind when i was born for the 7th time and OK computer; quick, name those bands!) dig me out holds up very, very well and this song especially is still like a steamroller.]the Arcade Fire - "Keep the Car Running" [stuck in my head all week, from neon bible. they did a tremendous performance of this on saturday night live and it's been a favorite of mine ever since.]Kathleen Edwards - "Summerlong" [by request. i feel grateful for the listeners i've turned onto kathleen edwards over the years. it pays off when i get great requests for some of her best work. from her sophomore album, back to me.]>Wilco - "Hate it Here" [from the new sky blue sky which finally saw the light of day yesterday. the reviews really are mixed on this one (from pitchfork's 5.2/10 to the onion AV club's A-), but all in all a pretty solid and different record. this is not wilco like you've heard them before. and it's nice.]the Tragically Hip - "Vapour Trails" [this song, from their 1998 album phantom power, has been stuck in my head all day. i used a quote from it for my review of the new album by the national (check back on monday for that!) and that was all it took. this album isn't often quoted as the hip's high-water mark or anything, but it was my proper introduction to them and it remains my favorite of their albums.]the Veils - "Calliope!" [from nux vomica. i can't really say a lot to describe this band yet. but i like it. it's got the wit and uniqueness of the smiths, but in a more structured, almost, chamber pop type environment. i don't know. check back with me, 'cos we're going to hear more.]Heartless Bastards - "All this Time" [title track from their latest album. they'll be at the cat's cradle in chapel hill on tuesday, june 12th. and as i said, there are tentative plans for an interview. here's hoping. and, here's the new video for this song.]>the National - "Squalor Victoria" [from the forthcoming album boxer which is due out next week. my review of this album will be up on monday, but, until then, enjoy this great song.]Midnight Oil - "Stars of Warburton" [from blue sky mining. this is one of the slickest sounding midnight oil albums, but the title track, this song, "movers and shakers" and a few others still really bowl me over.]Lucas - "Lucas With the Lid Off" [from 1994's lucacentric. this is a certifiable one-hit wonder, but man, you know, i love this song, i loved it then. i love it now. i never get tired of hearing it. and i probably never will. this is the song i thought of whenever white town blew up with "your woman." similar production/samples.]Blonde Redhead - "Dr. Strangeluv" [from their latest, 23. a really tremendous record that is a continuation of the smoothing out of their sound. but in beautiful directions.]>Adam Thorn and the Top Buttons - "Separate Us" [local greensboro rock and roll and it really swings! where's the freedom? is the first record from ex-kudzu wish member adam thorn. you've heard him on my show before and now the debut LP sees the light of day. the cd release show is this saturday night at the werehouse in winston-salem. be there.]the Rosebuds - "Cemetery Lawn" [more north carolina music. from night of the furies. i've gotten used to this record and am enjoying it quite a bit.]Ryan Adams - "What Sin Replaces Love?" (live - acoustic) [adams (another NC artist) and his cardinals played this song on henry rollins' show a few weeks ago, but this is the much more stripped down, older version. neither of which is on the forthcoming easy tiger, but oh well.]Filthybird - "The Gospel of Truth (as Judas told it to me)" [from southern skies. melodic, swooping, bird-like. more great greensboro rock and roll. between this, health and adam thorn's release (and remind me if i'm forgetting something), this has been one hell of a year already for greensboro rock.]>the Clientele - "Winter on Victoria Street" [from god save the clientele. more wistful, winsome pop. did anyone go see them at the cat's cradle last week? i'd love a concert report.]Paul Westerberg - "Whatever Makes You Happy" [from the criminally underrated suicaine gratifaction. i've always been really fond of this album, despite the criticl drubbing it took. i happen to like don was' production.]Elliot Smith - "Thirteen" [a cover of the big star classic from the new double disc new moon album. it's a collection of outtakes and unreleased material from the period between his self-titled album and the X/O album, from '94 to '97. and if i hear one more person refer to him as the 'tupac of indie-rock' i'm going to scream. guys - it's only been two releases: the album he was working on when he died and then this collection of unreleased material recorded well before his death. jeff buckley has seen more posthumous releases.]Oakley Hall - "Mumbles" [from second guessing, the first of two wonderful albums this band put out back in 2006. this is one of the most beautiful songs i've heard in a few years. the tender singing is almost too much at times. very, very good.]>the Sea and Cake - "Exact to Me" [from the new album nobody. you listen to a song like this and you aren't overwhelmed. but if you listen long and hard enough, you start to understand what incredible musicians these guys are.]Sage Francis - "Civil Obedience" [from his latest, human the death dance, which came out last week. i've never paid attention to sage francis, though i know the name, and the nods to his skill with words were obviously well founded. guess i should start looking.]the Dead Kennedys - "Let's Lynch the Landlord" [from fresh fruit for rotting vegetables, one of the most conventionally structured rock songs on the album. i love it.]Leonard Cohen - "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" [from songs of leonard cohen which, along with songs from a room and songs of love and hate, were recently reissued and remastered. the unearthly little girl choir that is omnipresent across this record still creeps me out, but lord what songs.]>the Cripple Lillies - "Bella of the Rocks" [from the album la bête. beautiful, folkish-twee sounding music. they'll be at the pour house in raleigh on tuesday, june 12th (free show), the cave in chapel hill on wednesday, june 13th and the evening muse in charlotte on thursday, june 14th. i'm also working on an interview with them.]Felt - "Rain of Crystal Spires" [from 1985's forever breathes the lonely word.]Gram Parsons - "Streets of Baltimore" [from the GP solo album. i'm moved by so many of the songs on his two solo albums. "she" especially does me in, but this has one of my favorite choruses - i love anything that allows me to sing a lonesome, beautiful refrain.]

That'll do it for this week. Check back on Friday for Notes From Underground and next Monday for the National album review. Also don't forget to tune in this Sunday at 10pm for the summer premiere of J's Extra Mayhem. It'll be a good time - and you'll want to know what album I play in full, won't you? That's what I thought. Talk to you then.